Cayuga Lake, Friendsgiving and the {Cookbook Winner}

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. Our table was set simply with just a smidgen of holiday elegance. So blessed to have 14 family members for Thanksgiving this year. The leaf settings I made for the table at the end of September at my camp held their color and dried nicely. All I did was sew a few leaves together with embroidery floss by making an "X", and kept them between the pages of a book until Thanksgiving. It was a fun project on a warm September morning! Everyone enjoyed them. 

We decided to get into the holiday spirit a little early this year. The weekend before Thanksgiving, we attended a Cayuga Lake Wine Trail event. We were given our "kit" for the day. Two souvenir wine glasses, recipe card set, and a grapevine wreath so we could collect "sweater" ornaments from the participating wineries. The wreaths below are from previous years and each year it is a different theme. Each winery gave a wine and food pairing, and 

Had "Friendsgiving" with the Scoots on the Monday before Thanksgiving. What a spread! These gals are great cooks!  I made a Cider-Gingerbread bundt cake from the King Arthur Flour magazine. I learned something new...the recipe called for Boiled Cider. You can buy it from KA, but I googled and found out they buy it from a farm in Vermont.  All you do is boil cider until it makes a thick syrup. I boiled two quarts and ended up with about 1.5 cups of boiled cider. I also used the boiled cider in my apple pie filling that I made ahead for Thanksgiving. Yummy stuff! 

The winner of a copy of CAKE, I LOVE YOU is Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen!

*Thank you to author Jill O'Connor and Chronicle Books for providing a copy of CAKE, I LOVE YOU for this review.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

Debbie

Pistachio Bundt Cake....National Bundt Day!

How many bundt pans have you collected over the years? I am thinking about doing a wall of bundt pans in my kitchen. LOL  I twisted my own arm to bake for National Bundt Day, and this pistachio bundt cake brought back childhood memories! My birthday is in August and mom would make this cake every year for my birthday for as long as I can remember. She made it in a "regular" bundt pan and frosted it with 1/2 pt. heavy cream, 1 box instant pistachio pudding and 9 oz. whipped topping. I NOW prefer a glaze and use the Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan.  

Recipe:

1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)

2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant pistachio pudding mix

1 cup water

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

GLAZE:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Directions In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mixes, water, eggs and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. In small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients, adding enough milk to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cake. Yield: 12 servings.

The recipe is also on the Taste of Home website. http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pistachio-bundt-cake#ixzz3GvI5d5Ux

Boy do I feel like a Bundt genius after doing some Googling. If you live in a cold climate like I do, you can  make a Frozen Bundt Wreath as seen on Food Librarian.

Or you use your bundt pan to roast a chicken. The obscene way to roast a chicken in a bundt pan.. 

I found another bundt pan that I would like. The Nordic Ware Jubilee. Santa, are you listening? Amazon

I made a White Chocolate Bundt Cake in 2012 which we loved, and the recipe came from the November-December 2012 "Tea Time" magazine. I brushed raspberries with egg white, then sprinkled with sugar and let them dry overnight. Mr. Mountain Breaths gave the raspberries 10 stars. I sugared some fresh thyme by spraying lightly with Pam, then I sprinkled with extra fine sugar.

Last year, I made the marble pound cake from the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert cookbook. The cookbook has vintage recipes reflecting the "Four Seasons".  The cake was easy enough to bake as a weeknight treat, or even to have on hand during the holiday season for unexpected guests. The recipe was different than other marble pound cake I have made. It included bourbon and lemon zest. 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Debbie

BAKE LIKE A BEEKMAN

Since I had ALL the ingredients on hand for this marble pound cake from the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert cookbook, I decided it was time to use my new cookbook. The cookbook has vintage recipes reflecting the "Four Seasons".  The cake was easy enough to bake as a weeknight treat, or even to have on hand during the holiday season for unexpected guests. The recipe was different than other marble pound cake I have made. It included bourbon and lemon zest . Joe and I have been enjoying a slice after dinner with coffee. I'm going to experiment by serving it with a decadent chocolate ganache glaze and a small dollop of either clementine, maple or peppermint ice cream. It was also a good excuse to use my Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan that I love. 

I'm joining a group of folks who have been baking their way through the cookbook. 

If you are interested, feel free to join us over at the Beekman Bakes blog.

I am joining Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.

Thank you for stopping by!

xo

Debbie